title: Barbed sutures in body surgery.
abstract: Wound-closing technology continues to evolve with the advent of barbed sutures, which appear to address some of the limitations of traditional sutures (numerous knots and time-consuming insertion, among other things). Advantages of knotless suture devices, specifically in body contouring, have been discussed in the literature over the past decade, with a recent increase over the past several years due to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of unidirectional V-Loc (Covidien, Mansfield, Massachusetts) and bidirectional Quill (Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) barbed sutures for soft tissue approximation. A thorough review of the existing literature and evaluation of the author's personal experience are presented in this article. As with any new surgical device, a learning curve is present that needs to be overcome to realize the full benefits of utilizing barbed sutures in body surgery while minimizing their complications.
authors.affiliation: Dr Moya is the Director of the Center for Aesthetics and Cosmetic Surgery and MWL Body Contouring Program, Geisinger Health System, Danville, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Alexander P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Moya
mesh_terms: D061645:Abdominoplasty / Q000295:instrumentation; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D059032:Learning Curve; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013537:Sutures; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: abdominoplasty; barbed sutures; body contouring; bodylift; brachioplasty; corset trunkplasty; medial thighlift; medial thighplasty; progressive tension sutures